Ex 'murdered pregnant girl Jayden'

A violent and controlling boyfriend murdered his teenage ex and buried her in his uncle's grave a day after finding out she was pregnant with his child, a court heard.

Ben Blakeley, 22, killed 17-year-old Jayden Parkinson in the Oxfordshire countryside on December 3 last year - 24 hours after she had told him she was expecting his child.

Blakeley was obsessive and controlling and after their split he had threatened to post intimate naked videos and photographs of Jayden on Facebook - hoping that she would kill herself as a result, Oxford Crown Court heard.

Six days after killing the petite teenager, Blakeley stuffed her body into a large suitcase.

He got a taxi driver - who even had to help him lift the heavy suitcase into the boot - to drive him to All Saints' churchyard in Didcot, where his uncle Alan Kennedy is buried.

Blakeley had even predicted when he was aged 13 or 14 that if he ever needed to dispose of a body he would bury it in a dead relative's grave - as "no one would bother looking" there.

In the graveyard, Blakeley and his co-accused - a 17-year-old boy who cannot be identified for legal reasons - buried Jayden's body in the grave of Mr Kennedy, who died in 2006.

Blakeley, of Christchurch Road, Reading, Berkshire, has denied murdering Jayden - but has admitted her manslaughter and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

But the prosecution refused to accept his plea and he has now gone on trial alongside the boy.

The youth has also pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice, but denies a charge of preventing a lawful burial.

Richard Latham QC, prosecuting, told the jury of five men and seven women that Blakeley was obsessive and controlling and regularly beat Jayden.

When the teenager disappeared on December 3, she had been living at the One Foot Forward hostel in Oxford and the last confirmed sighting of her was later that day with Blakeley at Didcot railway station.

"The prosecution case is that Jayden was killed by Ben Blakeley that same evening in open countryside south of Didcot - there is no dispute between prosecution and defence," Mr Latham said.

"We cannot be precise about location for this simple reason - unlike most killings the body was moved from where the offence occurred.

"There is only one person alive who knows the truth and we would invite you to be very sceptical about what he says or has said.

"Ben Blakeley and Jayden had been in a relationship for some time before her death.

"On any view it was difficult. We allege he was controlling, to an obsessive and excessive degree. He was violent and abusive to her and controlling and hitting her.

"The relationship seems to have come to an end around November 23 last year - so very shortly before her death."

Mr Latham said that Jayden found the ending of the relationship difficult and later discovered she was expecting his child after taking two pregnancy tests at the hostel.

When she first moved to the hostel she remained in her room, refusing to leave to get food or use the toilet.

"Jayden explained to a member of staff that she had a boyfriend and she was not coming out of her room because he had told her not to," Mr Latham said.

"He was so controlling that he told her what to eat. She was not allowed to speak to anyone and as a result she had lost all her friends.

"She was not allowed to shower and had to go to Blakeley's grandmother's house in Didcot. She was not allowed to use the toilet and had to use a bottle."

Mr Latham added: "He told her that he knew other people that lived at the hostel and they would report any transgressions to him.

"He made her feel it was her fault that he needed to hit her. You may think this is a classic sign of a bullying and abusive relationship - somehow making the victim feel it is their fault."

After splitting up with Blakeley, Jayden reported him to the police about the videos and pictures and he was arrested - the day after he killed her.

She told police that Blakeley had asked if they could get back together, but she refused because she had "had enough of his possessive, controlling and abusive behaviour".

She told officers: "He became angry and calling me a whore and he then said the videos and photographs would end up on BlackBerry Messenger and Facebook.

"He told me that 'When you see them I hope you kill yourself by jumping off a bridge'.

"I am terrified he will send them everywhere, which will ruin my life, and I want them deleted."

In a telephone call on December 2 Jayden told Blakeley she was pregnant with his child and he became angry, denying he was the father.

On the day of her death, she rang him again and they arranged to meet, so that she could "persuade" him he was the father.

They were last seen together arriving at Didcot railway station at 4.27pm with Blakeley returning alone at 10.04pm.

The day after Blakeley killed Jayden he was arrested on suspicion of possessing incident images and gave no indication that she was dead.

On December 5 police rang him asking if he had seen Jayden.

"I don't give a f***, don't ring me again," he replied.

On December 7 Blakeley was spoken to again and told officers he had last spoken to Jayden two days earlier.

"She had been dead for days and he knew she had been dead for days because he admits he killed her," Mr Latham said.

"You must approach this case with the knowledge that he is a proven and constant liar."

When Blakeley was arrested on December 11 on suspicion of kidnapping Jayden, he told police: "To be honest I don't give a shit where she is. If she has got a new boyfriend he can deal with it. I don't want to sound nasty but that's how it is."

On December 12 Blakeley was arrested on suspicion of murder and replied "no comment" to all questions.

After being remanded in prison charged with the teenager's murder, Blakeley told a health worker that he "didn't mean to kill her".

"He needed that health care assistant to know that he hadn't just chucked her in the hole he had dug, but while he was saying this he was smiling," Mr Latham said.

"He said, 'If I could take it back I would, but now I have told you that can I have a television?'."

The youth was arrested on December 13 and later provided the location of the grave where Jayden's body was buried.

A post-mortem examination found that Jayden died as a result of pressure to the neck. There was also evidence of "relatively widespread" areas of bruising to her face and scalp which was indicative of being caused by a fist or foot.